What You See When You Can’t See

The following post relates to the above picture that was shared numerous times on social media which questioned if the lady was indeed visually impaired

What you see when you can’t see?
You see a blurred picture apparently showing a woman walking with a white cane in one hand and a phone in another. You see blurry squiggles on the laptop screen that the narrator reads out to you. You see the images from the spoken word forming in your mind and creating the picture that everyone is talking about. You see the innocence of the woman walking along carrying on with her life unaware that she is being watched. You see the courage that she has taken to learn the new skill of walking with a cane through mobility training that she now must use to carry on living independently. You see that now she uses a white cane; her disability is on display for others to judge.

You see that that the person who posted this did not do so out of kindness but out of ignorance. You see the person who did this has enough functional vision to be able to judge in appearance without a care about the persons feelings. You see that the person who posted this image on social media to entice others to join in the judgement does not understand the impact of doing such things has on people. You see the negative comments that people make is just an insensitive epidemic that could do with some educating in certain areas.

You see people’s emotions getting hurt when they talk about things that they know very little about. You see people hating on the haters instead of helping them think in different ways. You see people who once judged on appearance now listen to knowledge that they did not know and change from judgement to acceptance. You see sighted people understand what it is like to live with sight loss and that they too can use technology designed for people who aren’t blessed with perfect vision.

You see people from both the sighted and insightful communities coming together to talk about what sight loss is and what it isn’t.
You see separation change to oneness when people whether sighted or with sight loss learn to see each other as more than the labels that they carry around with them. You see that people begin to feel more open talking about the world that they know little about. You see that when knowledge becomes power then ignorance becomes obsolete. You see that the picture that was taken said everything about the misunderstanding of what sight loss is and nothing about the courageous woman pictured who could teach many a thing or two about living life successfully.
Sometimes it is easier to see the true beauty in life when you use more than your eyes to see.

I am not sure to understand this totally but I think I can gather the following: One person thought the vision impaired person was walking with a white stick and on her phone when she shouldn’t, and probably was wrongfully ‘taking blind people’s rights’…. was that it?
More importantly though is YOUR message which I understand perfectly:
– Don’t judge by appearances
– Don’t think you know what the other should/shouldn’t be/do/act, because mostly, you do not!
– Don’t discourage others but encourage them to become what they aspire to
– But really, foremost: DO NOT JUDGE, do not assume, give more credit, be kind(er), help more, listen wahayyyy more!, try to understand instead of having ‘your’ formed opinion
A strong post, thank you so much.

I’m very aware of all of the above, was with my blind mother today and with the snow, glare and ice, we were nearly helpless with laughter as it was literally the less blind leading the more blind, or as we say: The blind leading the lame….

Yes, on social media this week, a post went viral of the picture shown saying that if you have a visual impairment then you shouldn’t be using technology such as phones etc although there are numerous Apps out there specifically designed for people with sight loss. I am glad you got the message in the end and you know first hand what it is like living with your mother and sight loss.

😂 I love the way you described the blind leading the lame through the snow bless.I hope you both managed okay in the end. Much love ❤

I get your points and agree but I have a (technical?) question: is it possible to have such limited vision as to need a cane to navigate a city street yet be able to operate a cell phone and make out what is shown on the screen? This isn’t a judgment question, just ignorance on my part. I imagine the snark that the image was intended to engender, maliciously or otherwise, on social media may have been by someone equally ignorant. Somebody educate me.

These are really thoughtful questions you ask and don’t come across as ignorant at all.

The RNIB and many other organisations and independent technology experts supporting sight loss, have worked really hard to design Apps and functions on phones, laptops and everyday appliances to make things accessible to those with sight loss. Many use narration ( common ones such as Google Maps, speech to text etc) and there are Apps that you can activate with your voice that connects to a volunteer on the other end of the line and through the use of your camera, they kindly explain to you what is in front of you and can read text for you etc. I am not saying that this person in the image was using any of these but it is a possibility.

Also many people with sight loss may have tunnel vision but no peripheral vision so need a cane for safety issues for anything out of their field of vision. Some have no depth perception due to disorders of the eye and numerous other things that may make seeing some things possible but not other things. Sorry does any of this rambling on make sense?

It is great to ask questions as you are as you are doing it out of a place of genuine curiosity and not malice. I have only just learnt about some amazing ways people with hearing loss are helped (vibrating alarm clock mats you can sleep on, flashing doorbells etc) that I wouldn’t have know existed if I hadn’t have asked.

The reason behind this post was for those who don’t ask out of curiosity but judge out of malice which is a whole different thing. Thanks for taking the time to read and question. ❤

Thank you. So helpful. My blind mum can’t use a smartphone at all but also neither her nor me knew about these helpful devices. She is also too old and wouldn’t want to use these apps. BUT she learned Braille when she realised that she was going blind. So much can still be learned and acquired at any age. 🔍💡
Wishing you a light 🕯 filled day. 💖

I have a friend whose daughter is blind. She wasn’t born blind but lost her vision slowly. When I met her, I was curious about how she could use a cellphone. So. I asked her. She educated me about the different app’s that help her navigate the world. I learned how technology can enhance her life and keep her being able to live a n independent life. If I hadn’t asked. I would continue to live in ignorance. It was not rude of me to ask her. I truly wanted to know about the way she views the world.

It is so great you were able to ask her. Most people when asked will be more than pleased to explain.

I think what the uproar about this post that was shared was about was that the person who took the picture did it in a mocking way and had no desire to ask those all important “how do you…” questions and just jumped to the assumption that she must be faking needing a cane.
Well done for being open minded enough to ask. ❤

I am legally blind. I have been using a white cane for many years. My residual vision DOES allows me to use devices such as mobile phones. I can NOT drive. You will NOT see me behind the wheel of a car. It is possible that you might see me utilizing a screen device. You will NOT see me ride a bike. You might find me walking a dog. My vision is getting progressively worse. I am glad for the limited field of vision afforded me for as long as it lasts.

Great to hear everything you can still do and that was the point I was making in the post to show people without sight loss what it is like. I am glad you are still able to use a screen device like the lady in the picture as it means the world around you is still accessible to a certain extent. I have been partially sighted from birth and was registered blind 4 years ago and can still vaguely see my phone (although I keep pressing the wrong thing with my nose as I have to hold it really close ). Thanks for sharing your experience with sight loss as it helps raise awareness of what it is really like living with it. ❤

Thank you. So helpful. My blind mum can’t use a smartphone at all but also neither her nor me knew about these helpful devices. She is also too old and wouldn’t want to use these apps. BUT she learned Braille when she realised that she was going blind. So much can still be learned and acquired at any age. 🔍💡
Wishing you a light 🕯 filled day. 💖

Since I avoid social media I did not know of the whole hoo haa about the photo.
What I saw was someone with impaired vision using everything available so she could get about by herself. I just assumed she was listening to her phone.
You are so right in that she is brave to be out there in the first place. I cannot understand all the judgment and hate speech – but that’s why I avoid social media!
Thank you for an interesting and informative post. 🙂

I agree that we who have 20/20 vision or sometimes less do judge those who are legally blind but still have some residual sight. Usually we judge by our standards and forget that these people must live by a whole different standard.

I work with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and they too have to deal with situations where they are judged wrongly or at least the context they live in is not taken into account. The digital age has leveled the playing field somewhat and allows more interaction but does not always open the window of understanding.

We can work together to help those with limited vision to open their eyes on many levels so we can share our worlds and grow together. Just like traveling is an education, so getting to know the world our neighbor lives in can be an education.

You must really know what it is like in your line of work with the deaf community. We are living at an anazing time for all with so much help from technology which provides a bridge into each other’s lives.